Are you wondering what’s involved in creating a wikipedia page for your company or brand? When is it possible and relevant? How do you go about it? My answers as a contributor to the encyclopedia for over 12 years!
Plan
Every year, Wikipedia is one of the top 10 most-visited websites in the world. A huge number of websites link to its pages, which means that a newly created page is usually in the top 3 results of search engines like Google within a few days or weeks.
Google also uses data from Wikipedia entries to create Knowledge Graphs, highlighting companies in particular when their name is typed into Google.
Finally, many Internet users often type “company name + wikipedia”, “brand + Wikipedia” into their search engine. Probably to access the most neutral and factual information possible, before using its services, buying its products, becoming a shareholder…
So it’s a good idea to have your own page when Internet users start to find out more about your company, to respond to their requests and increase your credibility.
Improve the natural referencing of your website
It is possible to add links to your website in 3 places in a Wikipedia article:
- in the infobox ;
- in External links ;
- sometimes, in the references/sources.
Even if these links are “no-follow”, they help improve your website’s SEO, as Wikipedia has a high domain authority of 93/100.
In addition, a research team quantified the hypothetical economic value of clicks received by external websites from the English version of Wikipedia. They estimated that the respective website owners would have to pay a total of between $7 and $13 million per month to obtain the same volume of traffic via sponsored search (Ads)[source].
Participate in an encyclopedic, free and universalist project
Creating a Wikipedia page for a company offers the advantage of participating in an encyclopedic, free and universalist project. It allows us to disseminate knowledge, make information accessible to a wide international audience, and promote transparency and neutrality.
Provided, of course, that you scrupulously respect the rules in force on wikipedia ! In particular, don’t consider that your company’s wikipedia page is under your control, or that it serves as a communication or advertising tool.
How do you know if it’s the right time for you?
Wikipedia contributions are highly codified and closely monitored. There are strict criteria for :
- create a new page ;
- declare your interest in the subject of the page you are creating.
There are general criteria for brand awareness, but there are also specific brand awareness criteria for companies.
The first question to ask yourself before considering setting up your page is: do I already have at least 2 national media outlets (such as Le Point, Le Monde, Les Echos, La Tribune, Le Temps, New York Times, France 3, TF1, etc.) talking about my company, excluding advertorials (content for which you’ve paid), within 2 years of each other, and in sufficient detail?
If the answer to this question is NO, it’s probably a good idea to start by working on your press relations before considering creating a page on Wikipedia. Although there are many subtleties that are often difficult to perceive when you’re not used to working on Wikipedia. That’s why we offer a brand awareness audit, to find out where you stand today, and what you need to do if you’re not yet eligible.
Delegate the creation of your Wikipedia page
This is a service we offer after a reputation audit.
I hope you’ve found this article useful! If you have any questions, I’m always available to answer them in comments.
If you’d like me to accompany you on Wikipedia, please contact me for a quote.
Good contributions 🙂 !
See also: Wikipedia Page Template
